Increasing brand awareness for an international HVAC manufacturer amongst African football fans through a YouTube campaign
Background and objectives
The HVAC manufacturer is one of the global leaders in the home appliances market and has a strong presence in numerous countries. However, in several key African markets, it was not yet a top-of-mind brand when consumers thought of electronic devices or home appliances.
That was when the AFCON, also known as the Africa Cup of Nations, one of the continent’s biggest sporting events, came along. With millions of fans, significant attention and strong emotional engagement, it presented an ideal opportunity for exposure.
The brand’s aim was to capitalise on the enthusiasm for football to build strong brand awareness and improve its top-of-mind position, particularly amongst football fans aged 25–35 in Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria.
The overarching objective was long-term brand awareness and recognition: to ensure that the HVAC manufacturer was considered by consumers when purchasing a fridge, air conditioner (AC), washing machine or other household appliance. As the company was not the category leader, our primary task was to ensure cost-effective reach.
IndependAds, as a partner of the HVAC manufacturer’s lead agency, managed the campaign’s YouTube activities, whilst the TikTok and Meta accounts were handled by other agencies. The social media agencies did an excellent job with short-form video content, which resonated well with younger football fans. In parallel, we managed the largest video platform via the Google Display & Video 360 system.
YouTube provided the opportunity to utilise both short- and long-form video formats, achieve higher viewability, and make the most of a strong Connected TV inventory, which proved ideal for presenting the brand message through storytelling during a high-profile event such as the AFCON.
Campaign structure
Working in collaboration with the agencies and the client, we developed a four-phase campaign structure that aligned with the stages of the tournament and the individual communication messages.
Phase 1 – Teaser (12–20 December 2025)
Reaching football fans and building brand awareness through the launch of the HVAC manufacturer’s partnership with AFCON.
Phase 2 – Activation Launch (21–26 December 2025)
Launching the key message during the more intensive phase of the group stage.
Phase 3 – Sustain & Optimise (27 December 2025 – 11 January 2026)
Maintaining momentum throughout the knockout stages by fine-tuning targeting and creative solutions based on early results.
Phase 4 – Last Chance (12–18 January 2026)
Ensuring a final, intensive presence during the semi-finals and final.
At every stage and in every market, we employed two parallel strategies:
Awareness (CPM buying):
Wide reach with controlled frequency, optimised to maximise reach efficiency.
Consideration (CPV buying):
Skippable in-stream formats, optimised for video completion to drive deeper engagement.
Key findings
Our strategy has proved successful, as we have achieved significant reach in highly competitive, inflation-hit markets.
- We reached over 32 million unique users
- We served over 52.9 million video views
- With an average frequency of 1.65
- Alongside a video completion rate of 62.6% (above the previous benchmark of ~50%)
- Generating 108,500 clicks
- CTR ~0.205%
Awareness vs Consideration Split
Breaking the strategy down into two purchasing models confirmed that the KPIs and campaign focus had been defined correctly.
CPM (Awareness):
Reaching ~21.5 million unique users, with a low eCPM and a 43% view-through rate.
CPV (Consideration):
A completion rate of ~87.5 per cent, a higher eCPM, but with stronger engagement.
This confirmed that the CPV tactic is particularly well-suited to brand storytelling objectives, where viewing the entire advert is crucial.
Breakdown by device
Mobile penetration in Africa is high due to the lack of fixed-line internet infrastructure and the vast geographical distances involved; therefore, our strategy was based on a mobile-first approach.
We allocated more than 65 per cent of the budget to mobile and tablet devices.
Connected TV and desktop delivered premium viewability at a higher cost.
Why did it work?
The right message at the right time (AFCON organic traffic):
Fans were already actively following the events, so the YouTube pre-roll and mid-roll placements fitted naturally into the viewing experience rather than appearing as a distraction.
Creative storytelling structured in phases:
Communication based on the ‘teaser’ → ‘launch’ → ‘sustain & optimise’ → ‘last chance’ logic kept the narrative fresh throughout and reduced the risk of video fatigue.
Combined CPM and CPV structure:
CPM ensured cost-effective reach, whilst CPV delivered high-quality views and greater brand lift potential.
Mobile-first optimisation:
We optimised the campaigns towards smartphone inventory, as fans aged 25–34 predominantly consumed the content on this device.
Consistent optimisation in Phase 3:
We paused underperforming line items and reallocated the budget to a combination of mobile and CTV inventory, thereby achieving a balanced reach–frequency ratio.